Sure, we all see a lot of stuff in the middle of the road, including the occasional dead skunk, but did you know that all this detritus actually results in thousands of automobile accident each year? According to new research released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, vehicle parts, cargo, or other material that has been unintentionally discharged from vehicles onto the roadway is estimated to cause over 25,000 crashes per year in North America, and those crashes, in turn, result in approximately 80-90 fatalities. Read more . . .

The headlines were all-too-real. In July 2003 an 86-year-old man plowed through a Santa Monica, California, farmers market killing 10 people. Now the American Automobile Association (AAA) has recommended that states improve their medical review boards by including provisions that evaluate whether motorists are physically and mentally fit to drive. The analysis coincides with the National Transportation Safety Board’s soon-to-be-released report about the Santa Monica incident. Read more . . .

“We know that adults can’t always persuade teens to do what’s best for them even if it will save their lives,” said Len Hunt, vice president in charge of the Volkswagen brand. “Sometimes peer pressure is more persuasive, which is why we decided to let teens convince other teens that buckling up is the thing to do.”

As part of a contest sponsored by Volkswagen, high school students from Read more . . .

There have been some heartening advances in automobile safety reported this year, but that doesn’t mean it is time to get complacent. Car accidents are still the leading cause of death among children. Though the number of parents putting their children in child safety seats is rising, the U.S. Department of Transportation says nearly 73 percent of the seats are being improperly used thus endangering children’s lives. Read more . . .

Wireless phones get a bad rap as a distraction to drivers. What goes under-reported is the fact that while the use of mobile phones might play a hand in some accidents, mobile phones are also frequent lifesavers, helping summon help in emergencies far quicker and with more accuracy that if the populace relied on land lines alone. The fact is that whatever you do that might distract you during driving, whether it is looking at hotties or arguing with your spouse, is a danger. Read more . . .